Massie Block once would have been proud to say that her life revolved around boys. Years ago, she was the girl who flirted to her heart's content, innocently broke heart after heart, and ended up glowing happily next to the boy she loved.

But now, the boys in her life controlled her thoughts, and not in a way that made her happy.

There was Derrick Harrington, the ex-boyfriend. The one who she had dreamed about night after night when he first began to call her "Block". The one whom she excitedly realized would be her First Boyfriend. With Derrick, Massie had her first taste of teen relationships and love. Their names had been on the tips of everyone's tongue; their relationship was the focal point of Briarwood and OCD gossip. She was so excited and felt like she was floating in a magic bubble. But when Massie realized that he no longer held her heart, the bubble popped. She struggled for a long time, trying to make sense of the hurricane of emotion within her, trying to locate the truth behind her wishes. Finally she chose to end their relationship, leaving everyone, especially herself, shocked and empty.

Then there was Kemp Hurley, the pervert. He teased and taunted every girl in sight, hitting on them recklessly, making them roll their eyes in complaint of his immaturity, but somehow managing to make them remember the way he brushed his hand against theirs, and stared at them intensely. Neither Massie nor any other girl could figure out why she would ever like a guy like that – immature, obnoxious, perverted, and hurtful. But for some explainable reason, they did. There was a time, a forgotten time, when Kemp and Massie were almost together, when their fellow fifth graders all thought they were. But it never happened, and years later, although she had tried her hardest to take him out of her heart, Massie still felt involuntary pain when she saw Kemp flirting with Kristen.

The third boy was Chris Plovert. Chris and Massie had been good friends, but they were strictly friends, unlike Kemp and Massie. Even then, Alicia and Josh had had their eyes on each other, and Chris and Massie would hang out when their friends went off by themselves. But over time, Chris became more and more distanced from Massie, shutting her out completely, and by eighth grade, was calling her a bitch. What once seemed like a strong friendship became an endless world of separation. Although she hated to admit it, it hurt her more than anyone would ever realize.

Cameron Fisher was the best friend's boyfriend, the one who had caught Massie's eye when she entered seventh grade. But they were never meant to be. Massie soon fully recovered and moved on, and she and Cam became great friends, and no more than that. Claire and Cam were obviously meant for each other, and together they were unbearably sweet and cute. But she never stopped wishing she could've been as happy as Cam and Claire.

Surprisingly, Todd Lyons was also present in Massie's thoughts. He was the younger boy who adored Massie so completely that he melted part of her heart. But she knew that he could never be a boyfriend of hers; he was too much like a little brother. Yet every time she looked into his pleading brown eyes, she hated herself for having to hurt him, and prayed she could cure his pain.

There was Chris Abeley, the dream boyfriend. Mature, sophisticated, caring, sweet, and reliable. The boy all girls wished to have. The boy who made all other guys seem unsuitable as a boyfriend. And Chris loved Massie, truly and openly. The things he said to her made her heart sing in pure bliss. But despite how much she wanted to, she knew she didn't love him. She didn't know why, and ten times a day, wished she could change the way she felt about him, just as much as he wanted her to love him. Yet nothing changed, and she knew it would be even worse to be with him if she didn't love him the way they both wanted her to. So instead of Chris and Massie fulfilling their perfect destiny, she was forced to break both their hearts.

And then there was Josh Hotz. Massie had never thought of him as anyone special. But when their hands brushed, she felt a spark of energy that none of the other boys had ever ignited, except perhaps Kemp. Josh reminded Massie of Kemp, which made her bewildered and scared. He was the person who made her realize that love, by the exciting definition she wanted, was not what she felt for Derrick or Chris Abeley. Yet he was Alicia's; he loved her and she loved him, even though they weren't officially together. And to be a good friend, as well as to save herself from falling for the wrong guy, Massie had to be supportive of their love. But in her unwilling fantasies, he was the one who held her hand, who kissed her cheek, who looked at her like she was his world. Massie didn't want to like him; in her brain she knew he wasn't the right guy for her, just like Kemp. Yet in all honesty, she forced herself to accept that she did.

These boys made Massie question her feelings as she had once believed them, and made her realize that love wasn't what it is said to be. Although her feelings for each of them were very different, what they had in common is that they were the cause of her happiness; her sorrow; her hope; her despair. Torn between following her heart and her head, Massie felt as if she was standing on a cliff; she could not take a step without pushing herself or one of the boys off the edge. And more than often she feared for the lives of several of them. She was trapped with her seven boys in the prison of her own heart.